


Burnt feathers

by Senrikuro



Category: B.A.P, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angst, M/M, Major Character(s) Death(s) [Temporary], Multi, OT7, Seokjin-centric, Supernatural Elements, basically everyone is an ass to Jin till it's late, but they make it up to him I promise, tags and characters will be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-05-05 01:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5356580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senrikuro/pseuds/Senrikuro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe he should've never attempted to do the right thing. It only brought pain..<br/>"I will protect and love them till the end of my existence..."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We're Family...

Seokjin flips the  _"open"_  sign on the bakery's door with a content smile as he resumes to bustle around, looking forward to the morning rush of customers with coffee machines whirring and cakes, cupcakes and other desserts already cooling on the stands. Unknown to him a hooded figure observes the raven-haired male's every move with a satisfied smirk. The guy nods to himself before turning around to walk into the shadows, disappearing as if he was never there. 

 

* * *

 

The shrill sound of an alarm blares through the tiny one room rooftop apartment, making the owner of said place, a blonde young man with sun-kissed skin and a haggard, tired eyes, get up with a groan. The desk is filled with all kinds of stuff, varying from books and dictionaries to random stacks of paper, all scribbled and written on. There are a dozen of honorary certificates and medals on the very top of the small bookshelf, all pushed together to take as less space as possible and on every one of them a name is written -

  
_Kim Namjoon_. 

 

The blonde male staggers out of his home after making sure to lock it up, aware of the neighborhood rebels, who like to stampede around his place and make a giant mess he'll for sure want to kill them for later. With sluggish steps, he walks towards a bakery down the alley, just a good 10 or less minutes of walk away, seeing people of various age and group go in and out with smiles on their faces, except for the still sleep-walking ones, who just clung onto their cups of coffee like it was a lifeline. 

 

  
_"Cafe Heaven"_  

 

He just pushes the doors open and plops himself onto a seat beside the counter, burying his head into his hands, sighing tiredly. A cup of freshly made coffee slides over to him along with a plate of delicious looking pancakes, making the man look up with a small smile as he looks at his friend who just grins back at him in that angelic fashion of his, a sight that would make any grumpy person just involuntarily smile back.  _Maybe that smile is the reason the cafe is so popular_ , Namjoon thought sometimes though he was reminded every morning that it not the case as he takes a careful gulp of his drink, sighing in content at the taste,  _Nah, Seokjin is just good at whatever he does, coffee and pastries especially._  


 

The blonde could never get over the fact that he and Seokjin were friends. If people told him he'd be friends with the goodie-two-shoes that is in front of him to Namjoon of 5 years ago years ago, he'd probably laugh right in their face. 

Namjoon and Seokjin were very unusual friends, to say the least. They  _might_  even be the polar opposites. However, neither of them dwell too much on that as the two were the first ones to meet before their merry band of misfits came together. 

 

"Did you spend the whole night drinking again?" the older asks with a slight frown, as Namjoon takes a sip out of his hot drink. The younger just nods, having at least the mind to look mildly guilty. He knew the older didn't like him spending night after night in such places but for his defense, he was there to make music and greet important people! Seokjin just nods before remembering something,

 

"We're all gathering here tonight, right? It's sleepover night." he asks with a hopeful smile. Namjoon grimaces a bit into his mug because his hyung looked so hopeful, making it practically impossible to say anything  _but_  "yes". 

 

"I think so. They should come since we didn't get the chance to gather last week." he says just as a certain teen sleepwalks down the stairs, hair in all directions and clothes haphazardly put. The male then just walks into the counter, attaching himself to Seokjin's side, slumping onto him lazily,

 

"Hyung... feed me.." he rasps out, voice thick with sleep. The oldest just laughs quietly, running a hand through the kid's hair affectionately, "You could've slept a bit more, Kookie! I would've actually made you a full meal but right now we only have stuff for the cafe." he says, pushing the brat off gently, grabbing a mug to pour coffee and handing it to him. The kid just just nods lazily, taking the drink,

 

"Dun care, hyung..." he rasps out, shrugging slightly, head propped in his hand, the picture perfect of lethargy. Seokjin steps to the stands and grabs a pair of sandwiches, giving them to the kid after warming them up appropriately. 

The older's eyes flicker to the wall clock once in a while as he takes orders from the various customers, leaving his two friends to finish their drinks. As the morning rush dies down, he nods in the direction of the younger boy,

 

"Jungkook, what are you gonna do today? It's Saturday and school's off?" he asks with a smile just as the younger shrugs,

 

"I've been thinking I'd go out with friends? Hyuk and Junhong said they wanted a game match since Junhong's mom bought him a new game we've been eyeing on." he says, still munching on the last piece of his breakfast. Namjoon kicks his stool slightly, finishing up his drink,

 

"Don't be late. Sleepover night, remember?" he asks, making sure to add extra emphasis on the last word as to send a secret message,  _'say "no" and you're dead'_. The brat blinks, staring at him in a mildly disturbed fashion before nodding quickly,

 

  
"Ha ha... Of course, yeah.. Sleepover night, I remember. Of course." he stammers and the blonde just wants to face-palm right there and then.  _'Idiot.'_   


 

Seokjin just smiles although the action a bit more forced than usual but by a small bit so Namjoon thinks it's at least better than Jungkook fucking up like the piece of shit he is and upsetting the elder more. The eldest of the small gathered group just shrugs, face smoothing over into a more calm expression,

"So you guys will tell the others, right? I'm sure Yoongi will just sleep till the afternoon, Hoseok and Jimin might be practicing. Don't know about Taehyung, though." he quips and Namjoon has a moment to sigh in relief to himself because  _thank God_  Seokjin didn't decide to call the morons himself, because that would end tragically on Seokjin's end and would no doubt leave a giant mess Namjoon doesn't really have the patience to fix. 

 

The guys were acting strangely hostile to each other lately, and, shockingly, to Seokjin more so. Even he himself wasn't quite on normal terms with the elder but to his defense, things have been rough lately, between the small gigs, with little to no recognition, and his shitty job, with the cranky boss and late-night hours. Cranky and stressed Namjoon didn't really find Seokjin's kind, helpful nature comforting but actually aggravating and even he was quite surprised by his own behavior. But he supposes he's at least better than the others, who sometimes would just outright snap at Jin out of nowhere, taking out their accumulated stress and anger on their oldest hyung just because the raven-haired male loves them too much to be mad at them for it. 

 

Yes, he was certainly better than those immature brats, Namjoon concluded, frowning slightly, not noticing that the other two were starting to give him funny looks. Jungkook then kicks him on the shin, innocently staring at his mug as the blonde yelps (in a manly way, he did NOT squeak), effectively pulled out of his thoughts as he sees Seokjin staring at him with a half-puzzled, half-amused expression. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he nods right away,

 

"Uhh.. yeah I'll call them and tell them to not be late. Anything you want me to relay to them?" he asks as Seokjin shakes his head, smiling,

 

"Nope. Just tell them to text me what they want for dinner beforehand so I can have a heads up." he says with a smile, Namjoon nodding seriously before he has the mind to smirk, "So that means I can tell you that I want bean-paste soup for dinner now and you'll do it, right, hyung? Since I was first?" he asks teasingly, making Jungkook just shake his head at him in dismay,

 

"Jin-hyung won't make the food you want just because you asked for it first, Namjoon-hyung. If that was the case, we'd eat spicy bibimbap every time we meet." he says, having the gall to give him an unapproving look. The oldest just smiles wider at their antics,

 

"I'll see what I can do, Joonnie!~ Can't make promises." was all he says before going to the register to take an order. The brat just sits back just as his phone pings and he stands up,

"Ok, I think I'll go now, Hyuk says he's waiting at the park. Bye, hyungs!" he calls out, jogging off. Namjoon too stands up, stepping closer to the register to wave at the cafe owner,

"I'll be going, too, hyung!" he says, getting a small smile with a nod and a wave back. 

Seokjin just sees his friends go away, smiling though not quite understanding the uneasy feeling in his chest. 

 

* * *

 

Namjoon huffs, sitting in the small studio, working on his songs that he were yet to upload, needing to tweak up some things after he had some of his rapper hyungs listen and receiving a bit of technical advice. 

The boys had all been alerted and mostly everyone had responded, except Yoongi, who must be still sleeping, it was only 3 o'clock after all, so Namjoon thankfully didn't need to leave incredibly long voice messages with the most colorful vocabulary his hardcore rapper mind could procure just to get them to respond. His friends were such brats sometimes, these days especially, and the blonde dreaded to think just how much Seokjin must be suffering. 

He leaves a quick message for Jin, asking if the kids wrote him and goes back to his songs. 

Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all. 

 

* * *

 

Hoseok and Jimin just both lay on the ground, panting, whole bodies covered in sweat after several hours of intense dance practice, feeling both exhausted and excited, something that was apparently possible. They'd always did this on free days, sometimes even at nights, just because they felt so close during their escapades, losing themselves to the beat of the music and letting their instincts take over as they created new routines with all their combined passion. It helped them get away from the problems they faced in their turbulent lives, a silver lining of sort. 

 

Jimin after a while of lying on the floor, pushes himself up, groaning,

"I think we should go now, hyung." he says, taking out a towel, rubbing the sweat off his neck and face as Hoseok just lies there, eyes closed. 

"Ok.... just a minute..." the older manages out, taking in the bliss of lying on the cold surface, every muscle and tendon in his body relaxing after hours of merciless practice. 

"I wanna hurry to Jin-hyung's. I haven't had a decent meal in a while.." Jimin whines, putting his stuff into his bag, pouting at the elder. The other male huffs, standing up with a mighty groan,

"Ok ok, you bottomless pit. Geez. you're always hungry." 

 

As much as he'd wanted to be happy at the thought of going to Jin's place, Hoseok couldn't quite shake off the uneasiness, glancing at his bag with a forlorn sigh. He just shuffles closer to his black duffel bag, taking out his towel and seeing the pocket that holds a small bottle, looking completely innocent to the unsuspecting eye. He just sighs for the umpteenth time that day , standing up completely, his bag slung over his shoulder, holding only his towel and a change of clothes and... other necessities. For more than once he feels like he'll break under the weight of his light bag.   


Maybe he already was.

"Let's go, Jiminnie."

Hoseok turns to Jimin, who just gives him confused look, eyebrows furrowed.

 

* * *

 

A figure sits in darkness at a table, his surroundings pristine but antique, the whole room in a victorian-era style. As he sits there contemplating, a figure steps into the room soundlessly, a tall lanky-looking young man with ice in his eyes. 

 

"It's almost time..."

 

The figure opens his eyes, dark irises tinted at the edges with blood red, as a small satisfied smirk makes his way to his lips,

 

"Good... Make sure to **_not let_ him _know_**..." he mutters, voice low and dangerous as the guest slinks away as silently as he came in after a nod, leaving the man in his musings.

 

_"Soon... Just you wait, my dear..."_


	2. Tattering at the Seams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I don't know how often I can update with applications, school and other stuff but I will try to update whenever I can!! ^~^  
> And thank you so much for the comments and kudos!!!!!  
> I don't have a beta so there are probably mistakes! XD Oh and this chapter felt extra-lengthy as I really had a hard time putting thought into words so if it's a mess, I'm so sorry!!

 

It's almost evening when Seokjin finishes taking care of the cafe and finishing making dinner for the boys. There still is the small prickle in his chest, gradually becoming stronger but he manages to ignore it. Most of the time. 

 

Seokjin is by no means stupid and knows what the slight pain meant. He had the vague idea that something was about to happen. Something that no doubt would bring a disaster of epic proportions, with him unable to do anything. 

 

_Just like then..._

 

He sighs for the nth time, fiddling with his fingers in nervousness. After years and years of repressing memories, it's become extremely hard for him to remember certain instances and as much as the male feels guilty for it, Jin feels only relief instead of loss.

 

"The boys should be here any minute. It's almost closing time, too.." he mutters to himself, staring at the clock briefly. 

As he stands near the big café windows to glance around for any signs of gangly teens and bright-colored hairs, he notices a black cat sitting right across the road, staring directly at him in an almost human way. A niggling feeling at the back of his head envelops his  primary senses for a slight instance, as if his own body is trying to remind of him of something he had forgotten long, long time ago.

Seokjin grows more anxious and uneasy though he can't pinpoint exactly what he's worried about. There's a deep sense of loss in his chest, slowly constricting him, and he tries so hard to push against it because... _because it's been so long, goddammit, it's all in the past._ He didn't have the time and nerves to deal with this or anything unusual for that matter. His daily concerns about the well-beings of the six boys were enough to last him for another few decades. Ghosts of the past be damned.

Between the conflicts between his friends lately and the growing worry for the future of said young males, he really did not have much time to be dealing with anything unusual much less with a weird, ominous black cat.

Shaking his head, Seokjin just opts to cleaning the tables and waiting for the boys to come piling in, all exhausted and hungry from wherever the hell they were previously. No doubt half of them would come with little dark clouds over their faces but that hardly mattered. He would make them hot drinks, feed them till they're only concern would be whether he was fattening them up to eat them or not. Seokjin would make sure all six of his friends got relaxed and had a good time. Because that's what you did for family.

_Family_ , he thinks with a smile, thoughts floating away from his initial concerns, _we're all family_. He had always found it intriguing (if not slightly concerning) how he was able to warm up to the other six just within a few months when he couldn't bring himself to be close to even the neighbors in the span of many years he had existed. The previous Seokjin, the one nobody from his group of friends know, was an upright man with a fortress around his soul, not letting even the most trustworthy of people close. That Jin was someone who had seen and lived through too much, a truly jaded soul who hardly smiled. Before stumbling into a certain blonde of course. 

The thought of the clumsy younger boy made a small, tender smile tug at his lips. His first friend in a long time and the man who was responsible for the coming together of the family they all created. Namjoon was the first to come to him and the others just followed, both figuratively and literally. Seokjin till this day remembers that sweet boy stumbling into him, huffing with a bag much too heavy and with a ginormous frown on his face as he struggles to push something into said bag mid-walk. It's pretty obvious what happened next as Seokjin found himself sprawled on the ground, buried in a pile of all kinds of books and papers with a stranger clumsily yanking him up and bustling around him with a hal-frustrated and half-worried expression. Jin remembers just laughing quietly, helping the other gather all his things while Namjoon stood frozen, stammering all kinds of versions of the word "sorry". It had been both endearing and hilarious at the same time. He would never want to pick favorites between the six but Namjoon would come close to being one. _If only those brats weren't so endearing, I'd totally know who I'd love more,_ is the stray thought he sometimes has, something akin to an inside joke only he knows. 

The cafe owner then hears the bell above the door ring, as he had realized he had been standing in one place for a longer time than what should be considered normal. Turning around, a smile ready on his lips in case it's a customer, he comes face to face with two mischievous but tired faces.

"Hyung! We're here!" Jimin shouts, running to him full speed and crashing into him as the raven-head just laughs, hand running through the light brown locks ( _It's brown with_ orange _, Hyung!!_ )  affectionately. 

"You guys are the first ones to arrive, Jiminnie, Seok-ah!" he exclaims, beaming at the two as he motions for them to sit. "You guys look very tired so I'm thinking it was a productive day?" he asks with an almost mother-like expression, looking at the two, getting a yawn from Hoseok and an excited nod from Jimin, who then proceeds to talk about his day. 

_Yeah, that damn cat can wait._

 

* * *

  

Namjoon is in yet another club, although in a private room, walls pulsing with the beat of the music from the outside, a glass of whiskey in hand, courtesy of Woo Jiho, who is sitting just beside him, hands waving animatedly, talking about some other rookie rapper he had stumbled upon, no doubt a kid with an untapped reserve. Jiho was weird like that.

While everyone in the scene fought like dogs to get recognition, and every other competition, old or new, were gotten rid of at first chance, Jiho had never tried to fight them, more concerned with the quality of his music and the content - a trait, in Namjoon's eyes, affordable by only renowned seniors with more than few years of experience. Not that Namjoon thought the mentality was wrong, he had just been skeptical that kind of thinking could benefit anyone's rising career. Though it did somewhat work for Jiho, he supposed, seeing as the man had a pretty large following and knew many great seniors in the industry.

Jiho, or Zico as everyone called him, had started with a simple-minded determination, pure passion and love for his music, and now he was an established part of the scene. He and Namjoon had been friends since young with Zico starting the path of a rapper a few years earlier than the blonde. Although Namjoon was by no means jealous, he had been at times wistful over what could've happened if he had just dropped out of school instead of trying to cater to his parents' whims. _On Seokjin's request._

Namjoon grunts to himself as he feels his thoughts take him to a place he definitely should not be going to while in the vicinity of others.

"Man, you should've listened to her, Rapmon! Her techniques were good and her lyrics were sooo witty! Goddammit, I wanted to work with her right then and there!" Zico goes on and on, a dopey kind of smile on his face as Namjoon gives a snicker,

"Are you sure you wanted to work with her, Ji?" he asks as the other few people in the room guffaw beside him at the obvious sexual innuendo while the man himself  makes a face, giving him a disapproving glare. Zico then gives him a meaningful look, as a mischievous glean brightens his eyes,

"Gross, Namjoon. Just because you're down to bang whoever you see just to get your crush-barista out of your head doesn't mean everyone would do that." he notes dryly, making Namjoon immediately blanch at the words as loud laughter rang through the small room already pulsing from the music outside. The blonde just opts to gulping down his drink in one shot before setting the glass on the table with a loud clank,

"I'm not crushing on anyone. You're being stupid." he hisses indignantly, shooting everyone a glare, making Zico drawl snarkily,

"Sure, you aren't. _Right_."

 

* * *

 

Taehyung groans, walking a few steps down the stairs, glancing at his phone to check the time,

"Crap, Seokjin-hyung will be so mad if I get there late.." he curses to himself, running out the doors, to the bus station.

Well, technically, Seokjin wouldn't kill him but the look of disappointment would, Taehyung supposes, since Seokjin has never been angry with him. _Because I'm the best dongsaeng on the world_ , the boy humors himself. 

 Jumping on the bus that luckily does go to Seokjin's neighborhood, Taehyung opts to standing there after paying, seeing no seats. Simply watching the scenery go by, the run down dirty alleys blurting into slightly cleaner ones, the boy has the mind to think why would Jin want to open a cafe here. Admittedly, the place was better and safer than his by leaps, but it still felt a bit too, for the lack of a better word, _poor_  for Seokjin to live in. _Seokjin-hyung deserves to live in a mansion, with people doting on him and making him happy; king-sized beds, beautiful gardens- all that cliche stuff,_ the boy thinks, although there's a slight hollowness settling in the pit of his stomach at the mere prospect of the elder living anywhere without them. At this point, Taehyung understood himself well enough to know that his thoughts would poke at the sleeping monster inside him, a blinding hot fury that he didn't even know existed in him until only a while ago. 

Really it's only a month or so ago that he really noticed that he had.. well, _problems_. Temper problems is seemed, which made the male slightly ironic at the fact that he'd been one to have them while Yoongi seemed perfectly normal. Day by day, he started to notice just how annoyed and angry he was being at, well, everything. 

Interestingly so, it seemed that it was always just so happened that his hyung got the worst of the burn. His _most favorite_ hyung to be precise. The first time he snapped at Seokjin, everyone had been shocked. Not only did _Taehyung_ get angry at Seokjin, it had been over _goddamn cupcakes_. After seeing the look of pain flash over Seokjin's eyes that day, Taehyung had simply ran out and locked himself away in is own room, ignoring the constant calls and messages from his friends. Of course, the one to call the most was Seokjin. The whole making up deal had been very anti-climatic, with the older coaxing him out of his room and home with the promises of home-cooked meals. And that he really wasn't upset with Taehyung. That deal had been pretty important, too, the boy reminded himself. 

With his musings, time flies by and the boy is already in front of the neat-looking cafe, pushing the door open, seeing three figures sitting around a table. He glances at the clock.

_8:35_.

"Hyung! Your favorite dongsaeng is here!" he announces right as a snicker sounds through. "Favorite, my ass! You should get treated for those delusions, Tae!" Hoseok chirps with Jimin guffawing at the side. Taehyung just grumbles as they hear the bell over the door jingle, indicating a person coming in. They all turn to see a black-haired teen walking in as if he owned the place, taking a seat with bored expression.

"Namjoon-hyung and Yoongi-hyung still not here?" he asks as everyone sans Seokjin give the faint blossoming bruise on his face a look. Seokjin moves to close the blinds over the massive cafe windows, shaking his head,

"They're probably running late. It happens," he said, locking the door, "They'll just have to come through the back door since it's late. Keeping doors open on Fridays when we aren't accepting customers is bad for the business." he says with a smile. As the older walks over to the boys, ushering them upstairs, Jungkook blinks as if remembering something just as Seokjin reaches to grab a couple of mugs off the counter to bring them upstairs,

"Oh yeah, hyung! There was this creepy, kinda cute black cat just outside the door!" he says just as a loud, excited "where???" comes from Taehyung. The words seem to click in his head, sudden images knocking the breath out of him as the ceramic mugs go sprawling over the counter as the male looses his grip.

Seokjin sees flashes of times he had forgotten. Of peaceful, happy times. There's whispers in his ear, a child's laugh, a high-pitched giggle of a woman as he hears his friends run over to him in alarm.

_"Appa! There's a cat outside! It's SOOO cute!!" comes a child's happy holler as a vision of a child running in through the door with a bundle of black in his arms flashes through his head._

Seokjin feels himself shaking, trying to control himself, to keep the past at bay. He hears the door of the cafe slam open, his friends all jumping in shock, the locked door slamming against the wall as if opened by some incredible force as a man steps into the establishment, piercing eyes roaming over everyone in the room before settling on Jin, face expressionless. 

Hands reaching over for the nearest solid object, Seokjin grits his teeth, fury blinding him as he recalls the disaster that occurred after a meeting like this back in the day. He flings the thing, which happened to be the mug he dropped just prior, at the man, barely missing his head. There are collective gasps from the other four occupants of the room as Seokjin steps forward as if trying to shield his dongsaengs with his body alone.

"What are you doing here?!" he growls out, eyes ablaze as Hoseok visibly gulps. The stranger, Jungkook notices, just takes a step closer, not even batting an eyelash at what happened just now.

"We need to talk, Seokjin." he says as his gaze shifts to the other boys, making them involuntarily curl into themselves, "You should've noticed by now." Seokjin's shoulders are tense and Jimin thinks that rage really doesn't suit their oldest friend. Finally, Seokjin releases a defeated sigh, turning to the four youngest with a blank expression,

"You guys go upstairs. Tell Yoongi and Namjoon to go straight upstairs." he manages out, sending a chiding, helpless look in their direction when they open their mouths to protest. Hoseok being the ever sensible one, nudges at the other three, silently urging them to follow him.

Now left with only the sudden guest, Seokjin's face hardens,

"What do you want, Daehyun?" he asks, staring at the man dead in the eye.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hoseok as soon as he gets upstairs, fishes his phone out, dialing Namjoon immediately, mouthing to Jimin to 'call Yoongi'. After a few rings, the man finally picks up as Hoseok breaths out,

"Fuckin finally! Where are you?!?" he hisses, anxiety oozing out of his tone as the man on the other line turns from annoyed to worried instantly,

_"What's wrong? Did something happen?"_

"Seokjin-hyung... there's someone here... It's" he tumbles over his words, not knowing what exactly to say, "Ugh fuck, just come here quickly. Make sure to go through the back door and come upstairs. Don't get caught!" he hisses as he ends the call, bee-lining to Seokjin's room as Jimin ushers Yoongi frantically to come over with Taehyung right beside him, looking worried. Jungkook follows him, eyebrows furrowed,

"What are we doing here, hyung?" he asks, eyeing him warily. The older just grabs Seokjin's laptop, running out of the room to settle on the couch in the living room where he left the remaining two in. Both Jimin and Taehyung huddle closer, curious.

"Seokjin installed cameras in the cafe. There's a whole bunch of them and I'm pretty sure they're linked directly to his laptop." he says, turning the device on, cursing aloud as he sees that it's password protected. Jungkook reaches over, typing in a few numbers and pressing enter.

"17500730?" Hoseok asks in confusion as the youngest shrugs,

"I don't know what those numbers are but he uses them most of the time." he mutters as the older opens up the live-feed program, giving them the access of cameras. Jimin furrows his eyebrows, observing all the angles.

"Are there cameras hidden in the freakin flower pots?!?" he asks incredulously, "Fuckin hell, I knew hyung was a sucker for security but this is bordering pananoid!" he exclaims as Taehyung nudges him roughly, "We're right above them, idiot! Lower your voice!"Seokjin and the stranger are seen sitting on the far corner of the cafe, right in the perfect view of the camera in the big vase.

_"What are you doing here?",_ there's an apparent distress in Seokjin's voice, and Jungkook finally feels the sting in his hand from nails digging into flesh.

_"You know what's happening, right? You might've been cut off from all of it a long time ago but surely even you should've noticed by now, Jin."_

_"What are you talking about?! I don't have time for riddles, people could be coming over anytime now."_ Their friend's voice gets meeker by seconds, unease and denial apparent in his whole body.

_"People?... You mean **those two**? Did you take them under you on purpose? You do know who they are...?" _ the man hisses out, frowning as Seokjin just glares at him in return,

_"Who I befriend doesn't concern you. **Know your place!** "_  the raven-head grits out icily. Jimin just gapes at the screen because _that right there is not_ _Jin-hyung.  _Suddenly the screen starts flickering, images freezing as white noises interfere with the audio. 

"What the fuck..?" mutters Hoseok, trying to fix whatever problem there is but to no avail. The other three just stare anxiously at the screen, as their hyung's voice goes from apprehensive to devastated in seconds.

_"...He did this... them.. beyond my power.. brother... doesn't know.. "_

_"Please don't, please!...Not all of them!!..  They... too young... I need time!! Daehyun!!"_

They all see glimpses of Seokjin standing up. With a last cackle the screen goes blank, even the scratchy audio fading into silence as the four of them are left staring. 

 

 Suddenly, there's a loud crash and Jin's scream echoes through the two-story building. 

 


	3. There's a problem.

Yoongi isn't really an active person, not really. If things were his way, he'd actually never crawl out of his room, sleeping and composing without a care in the world. Maybe that's what Seokjin meant when he said Min Yoongi was "a turtle". Never mind the fact that he sulked- he was _angry_ not sulking, there's a difference- for hours when the first time Jin called him that horribly slow, wrinkly creature, his older friend still insisted on calling Yoongi that from time to time much to his dismay. He never really saw the similarity, really. Turtles were agonizingly slow and infuriatingly determined, almost mulishly stubborn and... okay, maybe there were some similarities.

As he crawls out his bed to the sound of his phone ringing, Yoongi has half the mind to _not_ smash it against the wall just so he can get more sleep.  Blearily glaring at the small device in is hands, willing it to stop before sighing after a futile attempt,

"What?!.." he hisses into the speaker, mustering up every ounce of rage into his voice, 

"Well aren't you a sunshine? Even though it's 7 in the evening right now.." came a deep voice, barely audible over the noise in the background. _Fuckin brat_ , is all that registers in Yoongi's head.

"I might get even brighter if you don't tell me why the fuck you're calling, idiot." he slurs, disoriented and hazy from sleep. The pure shock and exasperation in Namjoon's voice kinda throws him off a bit. Just a bit.

"Dammit, hyung! I sent you a message, we're supposed to get to Seokjin's house now! We're already late, the kids are probably there already.." came a whine from the other as the older male scrambles from his bed, falling to the floor in the process,

"Ah Shit! Ouch! Fuck, you should've told me sooner! Where the fuck are you, anyway?" he exclaims, scrambling to throw on clothes while keeping the phone to his ear. Namjoon just sighs on the other line,

"Hyung, use the speaker, don't accidentally kill yourself.. And I'm nearby your place, I'll pick you up so we can go together." Suga just grunts back, ending the call. He bustles around, looking for his pants, making a quick visit to the bathroom to grab a toothbrush with paste, brushing away furiously.

"I hate this shit.. Jin's gonna kill me..." he whines under his breath, toothbrush still in his mouth, mouth full of foam. Finally hunting down his jeans, he runs to the bathroom to spit into the sink, splashing water to his face after. As he gets into a decent state and waits on the small couch for his friend, his eyes catch the lighter on the counter that he carelessly threw there with his wallet in the morning. Yoongi sighs as the shiny piece of metal gleams at him, as if taunting him. That small device was the one true embodiment of his promises that he failed to keep and the failures he couldn't prevent. In a way, Yoongi thinks, laughing cynically, it's almost masochistic how he takes it everywhere with him. He thinks of the rough hands that gave him that lighter, his father's kind face and belly laugh, the words of pure happiness as the man wished his son the best, believing he'd succeed. With a deep sigh, he flicks the cap of it.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

For a while the only sound that travels through the small apartment is the sound of the metal head of the lighter flickering on and off before the solitary silence was  interrupted with loud knocking on the door. _Namjoon, one of these days he'll break down my door_ , he thinks, groaning and standing up, wallet, phone and keys safely in his  hands. Yanking the door open just as the man on the other side was preparing to break into another round of incessant hammering, Yoongi barely manages to dodge the fist that almost catches him in the face,

"What the fuck, Namjoon?!" he asks, taking a hurried step back. Shaking his head, the older steps back to slip into his shoes easily, pushing the still sheepishly smiling Namjoon back to close the door.

 

* * *

 

"So are you sure the kids are already there?" Yoongi asks as they walk the almost empty narrow streets. They'd opted to take the shorter route though the buildings and the road, albeit dirty and filled with various people from the lower class of the society, was surprisingly well lit. As they walk beside each other (as much as the space allows), Yoongi glances occasionally at the other to find him looking down with a worried expression, biting his lips.

"What's with you?" he asks bluntly as the blonde's head snaps up at him, wide-eyed look on his face that somehow made him look a lot younger as well as dumber than he was usually. The older just scoffs,

"Don't make that face, you look constipated." he drawls lazily, raising an inquisitive  eyebrow when Namjoon attempts to protest. The blonde just sighs,

".. it's just.. Hyung, did you have a fight with Seokjin-hyung recently?" he asks as Yoongi tenses up. With an annoyed huff, the older just nods, taking a deep breath,

"Yeah... Just not long ago, three days ago?.." he mutters, tone more questioning than it should be. "It was over .. something, I don't exactly remember what." Yoongi says with barely concealed guilt in his voice.

It made no sense, really. He always did have an explosive personality but fighting with Seokjin was something they all avoided. It had on some extent to do with their oldest friend's limitless kindness and love but also because they all actually saw him get angry. Once. And it was certainly enough. Jungkook and Taehyung didn't attempt to step even a foot out of line for the rest of the year, which was approximately five months. Yoongi doesn't even remember fighting this much with Seokjin in the span of their 4 year friendship like they had been in the last few months. Most of the conflicts are over small, stupid things too, which frustrates the male even more but doesn't instill in him enough guilt to go and apologize so after one fight after another going unresolved with Yoongi's prideful spirit remembering every instance with grudge laced within. No wonder the kids don't really go near them anymore when the two oldest are within meter-radius to each other with throw-able projectiles nearby. 

Namjoon hums beside him as they walk, the cafe a good ten minute walk away just as his phone rings. The blonde sees the ID displayed on the screen,

"It's Hoseok." he says, taking the call. Just then Yoongi's own phone blares through as he takes it out, seeing the name flashing on the device. Namjoon frowns as he hears the frantic voice on the other side as well as seeing the caller ID displayed on the older's phone. Yoongi steps a bit away to take his own call, a puzzled expression on his face. Namjoon turns to his own call,

 _"Fuckin finally! Where are you?!?"_ a distressed voice exclaims at him as Namjoon frowns, 

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asks. Hearing the blubbering reply, the blonde freezes, panic gripping at him from the edges, an uncomfortable lurch in his stomach. As Hoseok hangs up, he turns back to see Yoongi carefully putting his phone away with a blank expression. Not even a second later, they're both sprinting down the alley, trying to get to their destination as fast as possible. 

 

* * *

 

 

As Daehyun takes a seat opposite him, looking at him with a carefully blank mask, Seokjin just wonders what dreadful news he's about to relay to him. The last time it happened... The last time. At the thought of the incident, Seokjin feels a bile threatening to rise up, a sick feeling making his whole body shudder slightly. Clearing his throat, he addresses the man with an what he hopes as an even voice,

"I haven't heard from you in a while.. What are you doing here?", he asks directly, not having enough nerves to beat around the bush. Daehyun keeps his face characteristically blank and a certain part, a part he locked inside him long ago, just wants to punch that nothingness out of the other's face. Then the man opens his mouth to speak, voice monotone save for the slight quiver in it that only could be heard if you paid attention enough and knew what to listen for.

"You know what's happening, right? You might've been cut off from all of it a long time ago but surely even you should've noticed by now, Jin." At the response Jin finds himself frowning deeper, confusion making it's way to his face at the same time his overactive brain decides to chuck random moments to him. Random moments, incidents he at the time had decided to ignore and push to the back of his head.

"What are you talking about?! I don't have time for riddles, people could be coming over anytime now." he can hear himself getting more and more horrified as a stubborn feeling of denial stops him from just sitting there motionless, from being trapped in his own head, thinking of the possibilities, one of which, just by his luck, would become true. Daehyun just scoffs, eyes trained closely on him , assessing him from head to toe, no doubt able to read every emotion on his face.

 _"People_?... You mean **those two**? Did you take them under you on purpose? Did you even think of the outcome?! You surely knew who they were...?" the man hisses out, frowning as Seokjin just glares at him in return, anger flaring up in him as he snaps loudly,

"Who I befriend doesn't concern you. _Know your place!_ " Daehyun just shakes his head at him, a sarcastic smile on his lips,

"Wow, what a low blow, _Seokjin_! If that's the name you're going with nowadays," he spits his name out as if the word itself is such an insult to him, "Had living with lowly humans in this garbage bin of a place finally change you?" he asks in a mocking tone though his eyes are firing lightnings at him. Jin meets the glare in return, not one to back down easily,

"You come here out of blue, break my front door and insult my family! If you think I'll take that with a smile, then you clearly don't remember who I am, Daehyun!.." he says, trying to keep his voice even, "The last time I had a visit like this, I was a mindless beast not even a week after, so excuse me for being confrontational!!" he snaps. Daehyun just sighs after staring him down for a good measure before he leans back,

"Death's been going on about you for decades now, you know that.. Well, he finally did a move.." he drawls with an exhausted look, as if talking about it was tiring for him. Seokjin feels the hair on the nape of his neck rise as a shudder runs down his back,

"What exactly did he do...?" he asks, voice completely vacant, 

_Please tell me you're lying. It's not what I thinks it it.. It can't be... Please..._

Daehyun just stares at him dead in the eye, a soft look in those brown orbs, the ones that held so much weariness and sympathy in them,

"It's exactly what you think..." he pauses, looking uncomfortable at the thought of calling his name, clearing his throat, "I know your senses have dimmed  but if you concentrate enough, you'll find the traces of Dark Matter all over your friends.. They're already tainted, heavily at that." he finishes, voice steady and low, as if he's explaining to a child as the other male just sits there, rendered motionless. 

Seokjin feels his throat tightening, hands shaking as eyes clouding over. Maybe he'd been too careless, too naive to think he'd have a peaceful life with the boys. With _his boys_. Loosing them at this point would equal death as Seokjin is no longer certain his weary soul could take the pain of losing people precious to him again. Seokjin, against his better judgement, had grown irreversibly attached to those six boys and to the cyclic normalcy they brought. Yes, loosing them would for sure break his soul beyond repair and Seokjin feels like a prey pushed into a corner, an imminent death right in front of him with nowhere to run. 

"..Why?.." he manages out as a tear runs down his cheek, "When did this all go wrong, Dae?.. I've already lost _so much_.." he whispers out as the other being diverts his eyes. 

"Isn't there any way? Any way to save them, to protect them?" he asks, voice getting more and more frantic, "There must be some solution! A loophole, anything! Maybe someone can help? Brother, what about my brother?" he asks, already standing up, looking at the male with a frown. At the mention of the certain brother, Daehyun's eyes turn a shade darker, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he practically glowers at Jin,

"He can't help, you know he can't. The last time he got into fight with Death, you saw for yourself how it affected him. I know you're desperate, Raphael, but think about your brother for once! The whole thing with Death and you is taking a toll on him." he mutters, a disapproving look in his eyes, "He did this knowing you'll turn to your brother. All this is well beyond my power so you know it's something your brother is better off not knowing. I managed to slip by unnoticed so I'd like it if he doesn't know about this.. situation." he finishes in a warning tone. Jin feels himself growing more and more hopeless as his prop on the table for support,

"They're too young, Daehyun, please don't do this!! I know you have your duties and that you cherish my brother very much but think about those children! Jungkook is only nineteen, they can't just die like this! Not all of them! Especially because of me, of someone like me!..." he sobs out, tears running freely down his face, whole body shaking, "Too young.. they have their lives ahead of them... please, please, I beg of you.. A bit more, just a bit more time!... I need more time, Daehyun!!" he ekes out, voice frantic and all shades of pathetic. Daehyun lets out a borderline-animalistic growl, standing up so abruptly that the chair tumbles back as he grips onto Jin's shoulders with a vice grip.

"Don't be such an ungrateful bastard! Your brother already lost much, do you really have to push it this far? It all would've been fine if you just agreed to go with him and live with us, in our domain. You would've been protected and away from forming these attachments!!" he hollers, voice raising that at the end he was shouting in the other's face. 

Jin just stands there helplessly, tears streaming down his cheeks, choking on his sobs as he shakes his head frantically,

"No! I can't go, I can't leave this place now! Not after everything I've sacrificed to get here!"

 

 **Maybe the first time should've been a lesson enough**.

 

* * *

 

Running to the cafe's back door to hear muffled shouts and to a black cat sitting there like a watchdog wasn't what Namjoon was expecting. As Yoongi tries to barrel inside in a flurry of noises and crashes, he yanks him back, as he opens the door as quietly as possible. As much as he wants to barge in like Yoongi had attempted to do, the younger male figures it's best if they do things discreetly. Sending a warning glare at his friend, Namjoon steps inside tentatively, hand gripping onto Yoongi's forearm with a vice grip as he walks across the kitchen the back door leads to to reach the heavy door that he knows will lead to the customer area. As he feels the glare boring into the back of his head, the blonde male sighs for what seems to be the umpteenth time that day, glancing back,

"We have to at least find out what's happening, hyung. Bulldozing in hardly helps, just trust me on this." he whispers as he opens the door in front of him carefully with his foot, opening a small gap just enough to let the noise filter in clearly for them to hear. If he tried and inched closer to the door enough, he'd be able to see the back of the stranger that was already standing up with Seokjin right in front of him, most of who is hidden behind the stranger's back. 

As their oldest friend's obviously distressed voice rings through, with sobs in between, Namjoon feels something ugly rearing it's head at the back of his mind and he physically feels Yoongi's body tensing up impossibly fast under his touch and a small whisper of a _what the fuck is going on, dammit_ is what he hears before they hear the man's voice boom through, 

"Don't be stubborn, you've hidden here long enough, you're going with me!!" There's a small, surprised gasp from Jin before they both hear a table being pushed, its legs screeching, small tussle and a soft but harsh _let go of me, Daehyun, STOP!!_ Yoongi's eyes harden,

"Did that bastard.. **That's it**!" he growls, pushing the door with all his might as he zooms to the only occupants of the cafe, hand landing heavily on the strangers shoulder as he yanks him away from Seokjin before slamming him onto the table and his fist collides with the male's face. He thinks he hears something very much akin to a crunch as his victim falls onto the table and surprisingly, the legs of the table snap at the impact as the top along with the male drops heavily onto the floor. Yoongi breaths in heavily, pure unadulterated rage pumping through him as he feels a weird sort of strength course through his whole body. 

 "Get the fuck out!!.." he hisses, glaring at the man that is slowly picking himself up from the floor, brown, hollow eyes boring straight into his, making Yoongi even more agitated.


	4. What are you hiding?

Silence in the living room just above his cafe was uncomfortable, Seokjin decided. It was uncomfortable, dreary and nerve-wracking, like watching the timer on a bomb tick away. He grimaces, thinking back on the incident that occurred just a while ago.  _This is going to be one hell of a night_ , he muses to himself as his hold on the now lukewarm cup of tea in his hands tightens, sitting mutely, refusing to meet the eyes if any of his friends.

 

> _As Yoongi breaths harshly, eyes boring into Daehyun, the owner of the cafe winces, sensing just how ugly things were going to be if one of the two didn't leave that instant. He can feel the footsteps thundering down from upstairs as well as a rough hand swiftly pulling him back and hears Namjoon's voice, oddly tight and gruff,_
> 
> _"Are you okay, hyung?" he asks in a low tone as Jin slowly looks up in a shocked stupor. Staring into those soft brown eyes he adored so much just to see the faint, almost unnoticeable gold streaks swirling in them almost has Seokjin fainting then and there but he manages to stand upright. Nodding mutely, he turns back to the two other males. Daehyun huffs, dusting himself off and giving Yoongi occasional annoyed glares._
> 
> _"I think my business here is over for today." he mutters before leveling Jin with a patronizing nod, "Think about what I've said. You can't stay here for long, your body won't take it kindly." Seokjin just lowers his gaze, jaws tightening,_
> 
> _"It's the life I chose. Get out." Namjoon's grip around his elbow tightens till it actually hurts while the owner of the establishment himself breaths out as soon as the door closes. There's already seven of them downstairs at that point, Hoseok's eyes darting worriedly over the three of them and the pile of woods that was previously a table while Jimin fusses over Yoongi, examining his hand that had become alarmingly red but thankfully not bleeding. Seeing the various levels of confusion, suspicion, skepticism as well as anger in his friends, Jin sighs, shoulders sagging in weariness,_
> 
> _"I have to buy a new table now.." he croaks out, mouth dry as a dessert and his throat like sandpaper._
> 
>  

After that bit, Hoseok and Taehyung had the mind to usher everyone upstairs but not before securely locking the door, the lock on which had miraculously been undamaged. Jimin is putting cold compress on the second oldest's hand in the kitchen with a silent Jungkook by their side while Hoseok and Taehyung try to get Namjoon to let go the back of Jin's shirt, to which he had gripped onto just after someone had noticed that he was holding onto Seokjin's arm too tight. 

Jimin drags both of the silent males that were with him to the living room, pushing Yoongi and Jungkook to sit on the love-seat as he himself settles on the arm of the furniture, eyes darting around nervously. Hoseok just sighs, turning to the eldest,

"So... You wanna tell us what exactly happened there, hyung?" he asks, sounding both pleading and exasperated. Funny combination, especially from him. Jin grimaces, stubbornly looking into his cup.

"He's... an old friend." he starts, not exactly knowing what to say, "Just came to talk about things." the male manages to say, hoping his friends would be satisfied with the vague response. 

"Bullshit." comes a low glower. _Of course_ , Seokjin thinks to himself, frustrated. Yoongi glares at him with utter accusation in his eyes,

"He was talking about _dragging_ you away! He wasn't just 'talking', that bastard was straight up demanding!" Yoongi shouts, looking at his older friend with a mix of outrage, anger and a bit of confusion. At the older's words the rest of the guys tense up, everyone falling silent as they avert their eyes to the actual subject of conversation. Jin feels Namjoon inching closer to him instinctively and he can see from the side profile only that the blonde had tensed up like a bowstring. He finally gathers enough courage to look up, taking a breath,

"Look, it's nothing big. What happened wasn't supposed to even happen. He wasn't supposed to know where I was." he explains, trying to keep his voice as leveled as possible, "Besides, Daehyun is not the one that would want to hurt me, he's a.. I know him, he's a good person." the raven-head mutters, making sure to stress out the fact that his acquaintance was harmless. That's when the blonde beside him decides to speak up,

"Not the one? So there _are_ people wanting to hurt you?" he asks accusingly, as if the idea alone was something Jin was to be blamed for. The older lets out a forlorn sigh, cursing his own carelessness as well as Namjoon's perceptiveness,

"Stop being like that. Nothing is wrong, end of story." he says with an air of finality ringing through the air as he sends a warning glare at both Yoongi and Namjoon. "Now we will all forget this has ever happened and go get some dinner. The food's gonna go cold." he says, getting up from the couch, hand gently closing around the blond boy's wrist as well as Hoseok's. He ushers the two along with the others to the kitchen, a smile blooming on his face,

"We didn't get to meet up like this in a while, all seven of us. Either someone's busy or tired. Let's just have a good time this weekend, okay?" he asks with a hopeful tone, looking at everyone. They all knew that the oldest was a tad bit too dependent on them, always asking to hang out together, contacting them frequently when he was feeling particularly clingy and the boys themselves indulged him quite a bit, always answering his calls or just hanging out with him whenever they could. Because, let's face it, no one could say 'no' to a hopeful Seokjin and get away with it with an intact conscience.

Jin sees them all wavering on certain levels, from Hoseok and Jimin's faint smile and beaming face, respectively, Yoongi's sagged shoulders and Namjoon's distasteful sigh. Taehyung is standing near their youngest, nudging the stoic boy, who in turn just looks up at his hyung with a distrustful expression but Seokjin can already see the underlying hope in them. Both of them almost instantly take seats, the older of the two sending a sly wink in his hyung's direction.

"Let's eat! I'm soooo hungry!~" comes the deep baritone as the six friends all shuffle to take seats, the owner of the house bustling around to distribute the food and drinks with a happy expression. Seokjin finally feels the storm inside him calm down, all his long-buried senses finally settling down till he no longer sees faint, almost invisible swirling black lines of dust around him. 

If what Daehyun had said had been the truth, then Seokjin had only today and tomorrow before he'd be forced to make a decision. He'd be sure to enjoy that small time to the fullest. 

"Don't even think about leaving food on your plates!" he declares in a happy voice, trying to engrave the picture of the six most precious people into his mind.

 

* * *

 

A lone male sits on a mahogany chair, facing the massive windows of the beautifully styled room, eyes closed, the picture of serenity. As he opens his eyes, two blaring red embers looking out to the vast scenery behind the glass, he feels the hollowness in his chest more prominently than ever, enclosed in the solitary room with nothing but his own self to focus on. He looks down at his palms, inspecting the limbs with a blank look. 

Being in such a form had become a habit even though it would probably be one of the least mobile of his appearances. Millenniums had flown by since he first had been given the suggestion to take such an appearance. He didn't even remember what the wast expanse of dimensional fabric felt like when he was in his earlier forms, a mass of particles huddled together. He didn't use to 'see' then, just like the other first creations that came from the Chaos as such things like eyes, ears and other sensory organs did not exist. The never-ending expanse of space and time was tranquil and quiet, with hardly any interaction between lifeforms. The whole concept of existing was fairly new then, half-formed souls, consciousnesses, bundles of energy particles that interacted in a telepathic sense. _Everyone and everything was one then_ , the male recalls, a bit of bitterness tinging his thoughts,  _Existence was not as complex and exhaustive_. 

He stares at his left palm outstretched as dark purple particles gather around and a projection appears inside the swirling black smoke. The imagery is bright, exuding light in all directions as the man watches a person's silhouette materialize before the images turn sharper, more detailed. Elegant features, all soft edges and kind smiles, a face that was so endearingly nice and kind yet at the same time held an air of arrogance and strength in it, and the observing red-eyes sparked with life as a soft smile tugs on his lips. 

The sight had always managed to take his breath away. This time too is none different. 

A memory, the images that rest on his palm, a distant memory that he cherished with all his being, guarding it closer like a sacred treasure. Now he would have to put it away. He'd held on to those happier moments in his everlasting life for too long and was getting attached to it beyond what was permitted. The man knew he'd not be able to handle the consequences. He'd already tainted enough, emotionally engaging in whatever _they_ had would only make the monster in him thirst for pain and chaos more. 

He concentrates on the memory in his hand, grasping at it tightly until he feels a solid object forming in his palm. As he opens hand, a small glittering glass orb rests there, shining at him mockingly. With a wave of his free hand, he procures a wooden box, putting the glass ball gently in there, shutting the box and sealing it. The man keeps his hands on the wooden object, contemplative,

"I have the let go of him one way or another, right? So I should at least take something precious to him in return. It's only fair that way." he murmurs, deep gravel voice echoing in the room, knowing full well that his words were just unreasonable excuses. 

 

* * *

 

Seokjin stands in his kitchen, pouring some chocolate syrup over the freshly made popcorn, hearing the laughter come in from the living room. As he mixes the bowl of snacks with a spoon, he contemplates about what he should do. Even though he could feel his soul forcefully shutting other thoughts, locking all the danger zones in his consciousness, Jin knew that it would not hold longer. The artificial tranquility his soul created was just that, artificial. He could feel the cracks on the veil, like a dam about to crumble at any minute. 

Daehyun's sudden arrival had sparked his soul's energy, his long-slumbering senses turning on sluggishly and through the whole day, the nauseating scent of ashes and wild weeds became only stronger. The swirls of black flashing in the corners of his eyes become more apparent, too, increasing in quantity and detail. It would be only a matter of time before he started seeing the black mist freely around himself... No, not around _himself_ , around his friends. 

That was probably the heaviest weight on his mind, knowing that something awful and terrifying was about to unravel but unable to do anything to counter it. 

As another burst of laughter resonates from the other room, Seokjin shakes the thoughts away from his head, taking the bowls of popcorn along with a few cans of beer and coke, balancing it precariously on himself. As he steps into the living room, he sees Taehyung and Jimin tangled on the ground, the former trying to reach somewhere under Jimin's shirt, laughing boisterously while the other just squeaks and grunts indignantly, trying to wrestle his way out. The other four are sprawled over the couch and the love-seats and even on the floor, snickering and laughing at their two friends squabble. As soon as Jin walks over, Jungkook springs up to take the drinks from him as the older sends a radiant smile at him for the help. As they both settle the snacks and drinks on the small living room table, the two boys split up in a flash, racing over to the table like a couple of energetic children. Jungkook grabs a few cans, tossing them to Namjoon, Yoongi, both of whom are sprawled on the sofa with Hoseok leaning against it on the floor.

 Seokjin laughs as he is pulled by Yoongi to sit between him and Namjoon. He wiggles a bit, making himself comfortable, leaning against the blonde boy as he speaks up,

"Picked what we should watch yet? Or are we going to shuffle names of movies I have in a hat and see which one falls out?" he teases as Yoongi just snorts beside him. Namjoon turns a bit so Jin is leaning fully against his chest, humming,

"Nah, we decided what to watch.~" he says with a mischievous lilt in his voice as the others, Hoseok and Jimin in particular, look at him in confusion.

"We did?" comes Taehyung's confused baritone as Jungkook settles beside him comfortably, opening his can. The youngest just nudges the boy with a smirk, and suddenly Taehyung is all smiles,

"Oh! Right we did choose the movie, hyung!" he says with an energetic voice as Namjoon pulls Jin's laptop so he and the owner are both looking at it.

"This movie.." he whispers into the older's ear teasingly just as Jin shudders a bit, covering it with a small laugh. The raven-head looks at the title of the movie pulled up clearly and raises an eyebrow,

"This? But Joonie, won't Jiminnie and Ho-" he tries to ask the blonde, turning to him slightly just as the latter sends him a look of pure mischief. Suddenly realizing, Jin just lets out a high laugh as Yooni snorts beside him, 

"Stop flirting, geez! Spare us, single miserable men..." he grumbles as Jin just nudges him with his leg with a faux-frown. Junkook and Taehyung just arrange themselves on their seats, smirking at the three hyungs  while Hoseok and Jimin, both on the floor, legs entwined, roll their eyes and silently sip on their drinks, Jimin having sneakily traded his drinks with Hoseok, sipping happily on beer. 

"Someone turn off the lights! And grumpy grandpa, try not to fall asleep." as Junkook reaches over with his ridiculously long limbs to turn off the lights.

"Wait, we're watching a normal movie, right? Why'd we turn the lights off??" comes Hoseok's confused voice as everyone else beside Jimin and Hoseok snicker to themselves. 

"Oh we're watching a movie, alright~"

* * *

 

 Once the credits roll in, everything falls silent as the youngest turns on the lights. The eyes are all on the two boys on floor, who are completely still for half a minute before Jimin bolts to the bathroom in a lightspeed, leaving the others to stare after him. Jungkook whistles admiringly,

"Damn, I've never seen Jimin-hyung run so fast before!" he exclaims as Taehyung doubles over beside him in laughter. They all hear a distink sound of retching from the bathroom, followed by a dry cough and a strangled "fuck you all" while Yoongi just shakes his head in dissapointment, clicking his tongue. He must've been expecting better from the boy. Hoseok takes a deep breath, hand grasping a pillow, gripping onto it so tightly, the stitches looked ready to burst, while sending deathly glares to every other occupant in the room,

"I will kill you all fuckers someday, just you wait!" he hisses, hurling the pillow at a laughing Taehyung, making the younger topple back with a squeak. Namjoon is laughing quietly behind Jin, warm chest radiating heat from behind as Jin begins to feel slightly lethargic. With a content smile on his face, the raven-head feels himself getting carried away to dreamland, lulled by the playful squabble of his friends.

"Not my fault you can't take slight gore."

"Slight?! Fucker, I saw more cut off limbs and pulled out entrails than the amount of characters!?!!" 

"Shh guys, hyung fell asleep.."

"How can this bastard sleep after _that_ ?!?..." 

"Quiet, you ass. Not everyone's a pussy like you."

"Why you..!!"

"SHHHHYOUMOTHERFUCKERS!!!"

* * *

As Jin wakes up, it's already well past midnight, the room pitch black, his body entangled with Namjoon's and Yoongi's. He can see the outlines of varies bodies scattered all around the floor and he has some vague sense of deja vu. Carefully, he gets up, eyes locked on the six sleeping figures with a slight smile. Mind set, he softly slips away to reach his room. Walking up to his dresser, he opens it, pushing all the hangers and clothes aside to reveal the blank wall of the furniture. 

 "Nehaapor tjeear yheem tjeeseuqer!" he whispers, eyes closed in concentration, hands on the wall. As the long-slumbering powers awaken, Jin feels his fingers hum and a slight pain shoot through them and between his shoulderblades, like his bones are shattering, his skin tightening, feeling no longer comfortable in his own body. He can feel his palms sink in through the surface as they come in contact with something cold and metal. The male exhales deeply, pulling out his hands from the void inside the wall, holding a beautiful silver jewelry box in them. Seokjin finally manages to take a long breath, suddenly feeling slightly lethargic.   

 He feels the familiar energy thrum from inside the box, calling out to him, trying to rip free from its' cage. With an anxious heart, he slides to the floor, opening the metal case. Inside lay feathers, snow white feathers with gold tips, radiating light which gets even brighter as Jin touches one of the feathers. He can already feel his powers being restored by bit and his soul settling down at the familiar presence of his own energy. There's a total of eight seven-inch feathers with silver quills, engraved with carvings, each sending a certain pull to him, asking, pleading to be one with him again. He takes seven of them out, leaving only one feather in the box. As he gently throws them into the air, they all glow gently, in tune with his heartbeat, floating mid-air. Seokjin stares at the floating lights with a conflicted expression, not knowing what exactly he was accomplishing with this. 

_I'm too weak to dispel the dark around us, it would be no use... I can't overpower Death, not in a state like this._

 

 He closes the box storing the only feather left, getting up to walk to the closet again. Bringing up one hand to the wall, he starts muttering, careful to keep his voice low,

"Djeeraug tjeear yheem eheesnepxer..." he whispers as sigils and symbols appear on the surface from beneath his palm. He watches the swirls settle on the wall before pushing the silver box into the wall, the object going right through the surface the same way it came out. In he light of the seven glowing feathers around him, he sees the black lines fade away. Putting the clothes back in their place, he quietly closes the closet doors. With soft steps, he then goes back to the living room, to his slumbering friends. As he steps into the room, illuminated by the soft glow of the floating objects, he can even more clearly see the accumulating dark mist around them, wrapping itself around each and every one of his friends. The hold of the black smoke seems more weaker and sluggish around Yoongi and Namjoon, as if something is keeping it from gluing itself onto them the same way it did with the rest, and for a second Seokjin feels more anxious than relieved at the sight. 

Bracing himself, he stands over the sleeping boys, the feathers glowing more as they sense a change in the air. Clenching his fists, Seokjin musters up all of his sapped reserves, trying to accelerate the re-energizing. He could feel his soul expanding, trying to restore his past powers, his shoulders burning as if set on fire. With a deep breath, he glances at his friends, channeling all the energy to them, ordering the feathers to settle onto them, one by one. Six of the feathers settle one by one on the sleeping boys' chests, melting into their bodies. Jin imagines a weave, a brilliant, beautiful golden weave with strong sturdy threads, wrapping itself around his friends, protecting them. He imagines the weave settling around six of them, bringing them closer, cocooning them in warmth, fighting the dark mist away. Opening his eyes, he sees their sleeping forms and breaks into a small smile. The weave is strong but not strong enough to keep the darkness away, let alone remove the hold Death has on them. Seokjin knows that, but now he can keep an eye on them, he can know. He would know when each one of then is hurt and he would be able to channel the pain to himself, to at least lessen their pain.

Not the best solution but the only one he currently has. 

The remaining one feather floats up to him, glow much more dim now that Seokjin's own energy slips away. He gently takes it into his hands, holding it, tracing a finger through it, feeling the softness.

Feather. His feather. A thing that was once part of him. Still is but not quite. A fragment of his shattered soul that is so clearly asking to be a part of him again.

He lays a gentle kiss on the soft piece before letting it burst into millions of tiny light particles, all bright and soft. The glowing dust melts into the air and he can feel the air getting lighter, the dark mist  dissolving slightly.

"I will be with you guys forever.." he whispers into the silent room, a promise to himself, witnessed by no one. 

 

 

* * *

 

That night Namjoon dreams. He dreams of a bright sun, a clear sky and a green valley. He feels the wind blowing softly into his face. He sees his mother and father smiling in the distance, waving at him, beckoning him closer. As he runs to them, there's a strange ache in his chest, as if he's forgotting something. Running up to his family, seeing them so happy, he quickly dispels the thoughts. As the three of them go inside their house, _home_ , he sees all of his friends. Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook. All happier than he's ever seen them before. The ache in his chest intensifies as he looks at his friends in awe.

He's forgetting something. He's sure of it. But _what_? 

Suddenly there's a soft whisper in his ears, a voice eerie yet warm, almost loving,

"I'll be with you guys forever..." 

Jin.

Why is he not here? He's supposed to be here. If anyone deserves happiness, it's Jin. Where is he? 

Just as a frown pulls on his features, arms envelop around him, holding onto him, and he turns around. 

Namjoon opens his eyes.

 

_What?..._

 

His milbs feel like lead, actually his whole body does. His neck is definetely in an odd angle and the blonde dreads moving it. 

With a groan he wakes up, feeling both disoriented and light at the ane time. In fact, he's feeling so light and energetic, Namjoon actually feels like he can walk around and actually be productive.

His neck still feels like shit but it's way less than the other times he had fallen asleep on his desk. 

It's still dark out so he assumes it's either very early or he slept through the whole day. Deciding on the former, as Seokjin would never let him sleep through a whole day, let alone in that position, he walks silently as possible for him to the kitchen, from where he can see light emanating from.

As he gets there, he sees Seokjin's slouched form, hands holding onto a warm cup of coffee. The older looks tired, drained even, as if all the life in him had been sucked away, skin pale and eyes withput the usual sparkle in them. 

As he cautiously coughs a bit to alert the man, Jin jumps in his seat slightly, looking up at him, startled.

"Oh, Joon-ah.." comes from the male, a smile blooming on his lips. With a lopsided grin, Namjoon takes a seat beside the man, eyes still a bit droopy from sleep.

"What are you doing here, hyung? And what time is it, anyway?" he rasps out, his voice deep and scratchy. Jin just chuckles at him,

"It's four in the morning, Joon. Why aren't you asleep?" he asks, raising one brow. Namjoon just shrugs,

"I just had a dream. So I woke up." he asnwers simply, shrugging. The older nods before nodding at his mug,

"Want coffee?" at the younger's affirmative nod, the male gets up. As silence stretches over them, Namjoon plays back to the incident of the night before.

"...Hyung?" he starts off cautiously as the make in question tenses up at his tone, "That man from yesterday? You really aren't gonna tell us what that was all about?" 

Seokjin glances back at him briefly before returning to bustling around the kitchenette. Namjoon thinks that the one cup of coffee he promised him is taking way too long. 

"No.. Not now." Jin replies in a steady voice as Namjoon nods, primarily to himself,

"Okay." Seokjin slides a cup of warm coffee at him with an apologetic smile. 

_Even after all these years, you're still hiding things from me.._

_What are you hiding? So desperately too, to fight with us for it? What?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a bad author otl I'm not even sure what I'm writing XD I feel like I'm just running in circles with this fic but hopefully yall are not that confused by all this XD  
> IM SORRYYY!!!


	5. Young Forever (Are we?)

As Yoongi wakes up on the coach with his back hurting like a bitch and legs cramping, the first thing he notices is the empty space beside him that he had sworn was taken by Jin and Namjoon when he fell asleep. He looks around the room lazily, stretching. Hoseok and Jimin are both gone, being the early-risers they are. Taehyung is passed out on the love-seat and Yoongi winces looking at him. He'd not want to take up to _that_ position and feel the aftermath. As the male trudges to the kitchen, hearing various sounds coming from there, the only thing he manages to think was that his right fist feels surprisingly light. Shaking his hand a bit, trying to ignore the weird sensation he's been having ever since he sent the bastard from yesterday sprawling on the ground, Yoongi steps into the kitchen where he sees through half-lidded eyes Seokjin cutting vegetables on the counter with Hoseok beside him, stirring some soup. 

"What time is it?" he quips, voice hoarse and still deep with sleep, as they both turn to look at him. 

"8:45", "What are you doing up?" is what comes simultaneously as the younger of the two raises an eyebrow at him, not used to seeing him up so early. Yoongi just plops into one of the kitchen chairs with a groan, 

"It's too damn early.." Seokjin just smiles at him, abandoning what he was doing to get him a cup of coffee. Hoseok just puts the lid on the pot, sitting across him with a wide grin. The older sends him an annoyed and somewhat perturbed look,

"...what?" he croaks as Jin places a warm cup of coffee, with extra milk, in front of him, and resumes what he was doing earlier while Hoseok just shrugs,

"Nothing~ Just, it's weird seeing you awake so early, I'm not used to it!" he chirps and the older just glares at him, eyes narrowing into slits. He then looks around, looking for the rest of the guys, noting the almost foreign silence. As if reading his thoughts Hoseok smiles, 

"Namjoonie, Jiminnie and Kookie said they'd go get groceries and stuff." he says easily as Yoongi nods. The younger them gives him a look, "You don't need to go to work tomorrow morning right?" he asks, attentive to the older. Yoongi thinks back to his schedule before shaking his head with a low grunt as the younger male nods, more to himself than to the elder, 

"Well we were thinking of going to the arcade today. Then have another sleepover till it's Monday." he says with an overly-stretched grin as if expecting him to say something to object. He probably would've if he wasn't feeling surprisingly benevolent, even to the point of being contradictory to himself. The older male just nods as his eyes jump to Seokjin, who's smiling with his back turned to him. 

"Food's almost ready. Set up the table, Yoongi." the oldest chimes as Hoseok skips into the bathroom before Yoongi can even open his mouth. _Damn, bailing from duties, that brat._ As he sluggishly went up to collect the side dishes and eating utensils, the door opens, three boys piling in loudly as Yoongi just scowls. Namjoon kicks off is shoes at the door and stops in his tracks for a split second, frowning, 

"Is the world ending? Why are you up?" he asks his hyung, who is snappily setting the table, a lazy, deadpan look on his face. There's a burst of laughter from the kitchen as their oldest hyung breaks into laughter at Namjoon's question. The man in question scowls deeper, 

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." he grits out as Hoseok comes back with wet hands and water drops running down the sides of his face, no doubt the result of the half-assed dabbing on his face with a towel that the guy usually does. Yoongi just snorts when Hoseok comes bounding, diving for the bags as soon as he sees them. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The going to the arcade sounded fun at first. Heck, it sounded alright even now. It's the "going" part that was the problem.

Apparently being in the same space (technically, not same space since they were inside the truck while the others were on the truck bed) with three pumped up kids and an equally pumped up overgrown man-child is a bit much for Yoongi and Namjoon to handle. Though, the man begrudges, Seokjin seems to be doing quite alright handling the ridiculous shouting and annoying banter coming from the back of his truck. 

As another series  of "woohoo"s and "are we there yet"s come resounding from the the truck's back, Yoongi resists the urge to spook Seokjin so bad that he would accelerate abruptly and sending the rowdy bunch tumble out of the vehicle's back hard. Yeah, the sudden light he found in his personality and the ridiculous feeling of tranquility has left him without a trace and the man was now feeling the sadist in him come back. He probably shouldn't  be so relieved about that but... _oh well_. 

Instead of acting upon his slightly psychopathic tendencies, Yoongi sticks his head out of the open window- at which Seokjin screeches like a banshee while trying to be a model driver and keep both his hands on the steering wheel- and the pale man just puts on his best glower,

"Fucking shut up or else I'll tilt the car!!" he shouts as they all turn to him, wide-eyed, as Jin just huffs disapprovingly with Namjoon sighing in relief from the middle seat. The back turns relatively quiet, save for the occasional talking. As they pull beside the arcade, there's a racket from behind the truck and Yoongi closes his eyes in annoyance. This was going to be a long day...

Seokjin just locks his car up with a fairly chipper look on his face, not even blinking as the foursome attempt to jump out of the open truck bed, nearly ripping the sides off their hinges. Yoongi and Namjoon both wonder just how exactly the oldest male deals with all this.

When everyone is off and ready to go, they step into the gaming center, all bright smiles and laughter. The youngest three bound to the more physical games right away as Hoseok heads straight to the DDR machine. Seokjin just looks around, making sure to note where all of the boys, each and every one of them, went before his eyes lock into something outside the arcade building, where quite a few people (though mainly couples) gathered already. Yoongi and Namjoon seem to be already occupied with the racing cars, shouting expletives at each other and hands swatting wildly. So with a shrug, the raven-haired male walks towards the site. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

There's a sound of another perfect ten loops in a row and both Taehyung and Jimin glare at Jungkook while the boy just bursts out laughing. Teahyung pulls his most impressive sour face, gathering up the balls on his lane while Jimin violently prods the youngest's sides,

"Playing. with. you. is. stupid." he grits out as the raven-haired boy squirms, laughing, trying to bat the older away. Taehyung pouts, joining in with Jimin as they both try to take revenge for their (totally embarrassing) losses. 

After a good few minutes of goofing around, they all stand around, having finished all the game chips they had, contemplating.

"So..." Jimin starts, a completely innocent look on his face as he smiles, "Should we go bother hyungs? Maybe we can even pilfer some game chips from them." he suggests as Jungkook perks up right away, the competitive spirit in him springing into life. Taehyung just looks at both of them with a dubious look before shrugging,

"Okay, might as well, I guess. Though I wouldn't bet on Hobi-hyung having any, he must have used it up all by now. DDR is expensive." he says with a raised eyebrow as he trails after the excited two, who make their way towards the more center of the gaming center, all loud ruckus and wild movements. 

 As they reach the much coveted after dancing game, they see a man flailing and jumping energetically, almost completing the weird stilted choreography on the screen with practiced ease of a professional dancer. They push their way through the formed crowd, getting quite heated glares here and there, finally getting to stand beside the railing to see their hyung going at it while a poor school girl beside him makes feeble attempts to challenge him only to stumble every time Hoseok makes particularly interesting spins. Jimin just laughs as the game ends, the winner clear without even seeing the display as the girl just giggles, running off the podium.

Taking the opportunity, Jimin bolts as Hoseok bursts into laughter, putting the last bits of his game tokens (with a kind stranger lending him a few) as the people around them cheer, courtesy of a very noisy Jungkook and Taehyung. The moment the tune starts, the harsh beats of the song almost grating on the ears, they move in perfect sync, trying to win over the other with the slightest flourish in their movements, more focused on the noise of the crowd. 

"Show-offs." Taehyung hisses beside them, his lilac colored hair (Jungkook has long since stopped questioning how his hyung's scalp bears it) swishing to the sides as the male sends a big, toothy grin. The younger raven-head just scoffs, shaking his head,

"Tell me about it, hyung. They're such attention-whores~~" he exclaims, the vulgar insult coming off more affectionate than anything as he sends a grin of his own back. He then lets out a loud shout, edging the people around him on as his laughs resonates through the loud place.

Taehyung just looks on fondly, a big full grin on his face as he eyes his three friends. He doesn't think he wants the moment to end.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After ending the game with a bang (literally as both Hoseok and Jimin decided jumping as a last move was a good idea), the four friends move away from the DDR machines, intent on finding their other friends. There's a friendly playfulness between them, surrounding the four, as they make way to the racing cars, where the two hyungs are no doubt. 

"Who do you think is winning?" Taehyung asks with a mischievous smile as they see Namjoon's lanky frame flailing on the car seat, completely covering Yoongi's. 

"I'm betting on Joon." Hoseok stage whispers as they hear Yoongi mumbling out a rather impressive string of expletives, one pale hand reaching over to swat at Namjoon's controls. The blonde just grumbles something about rude and abusive hyungs and sore losers. Jimin goes to Yoongi's side, poking the man to stop him from trying to sabotage Namjoon getting an annoyed "fuck you" in return and an over-dramatic thanks from the younger. They all collectively keep their eyes on the game screen, waiting for the game to finish. Once the shrill voice of the gaming machine announces the end, Yoongi slams his head onto the control panel, groaning as Namjoon just laughs beside him.

"You lost, hyung! You know what that means~" Jimin beside him winces slightly, hoping his hyung would stop trying to get killed by his other hyung by pushing said hyung's buttons. Hoseok, Taehyung and Jungkook all join in on the laughter ad Jimin seriously humors the idea of calling the police in case mass murder happens. Or if Min Yoongi blows up, that can happen too, he thinks, an amused smile on his lips. Seriously his friends were all dumb. Well, of course except for the "perfect"... Jimin pauses his train of thoughts, looking around,

"Uhh... hyung, where's Jin-hyung?" he asks as Namjoon just blinks at him, only now looking around carefully.

"I don't know? I thought he was with you guys since he said he wanted to play DDR.." he trails off while Jungkook raises an eyebrow,

"You know he'd never play DDR with Hoseok-hyung in the near vicinity." he points out while Hoseok gives an offended look. "The only one crazy enough for that is Jimin." 

("It's _hyung_ , you brat!" Jimin gets promptly ignored.)

Yoongi just looks at everyone with his default annoyed expression,

"It's not like he disappeared, we can just find him. This place isn't a mall, it's just a small arcade." Everyone (sans Taehyung, who puts on a very serious expression and a "How do you know he _didn't_ disappear?") nod in agreement and they file out, searching for their oldest friend. 

Which makes it _ridiculous_ that they can't find him. Twenty minutes of non-stop going around, looking at each and every person on the console games and coming up empty, Taehyung slumps against a wall, frowning,

"You said he _didn't_ disappear.." he accuses with a petulant face as he grimaces, "You don't think he.. left us here, right?" Jungkook just gives him a weird look.

"For what? It's not like he has any important work or has to meet up with other people. Pretty sure the only friends hyung has is us. And he loves too much, it sometimes borders on obsessive. He wouldn't just leave us." the raven-haired boy retorts bluntly while Hoseok gives him a barely controlled scowl for his words. Namjoon just shakes his head and Yoongi wonders if he's doing it at their bratty youngest or at the whole situation.

"Wow, with how you're talking, i wouldn't be surprised if he dropped your ass in the middle of nowhere just to get rid of your negative mug." Taehyung returns bluntly and Hoseok groans in frustration. Things had been going _so good_. An argument just had to spark up at this time. 

"Shut up, both of you! We don't need this right now." Yoongi growls with an irritated Jimin at his side, who seems to be finding the window quite interesting. 

"Oh-!" he exclaims and wow, apparently the window was that interesting. They all turn to him as he point to a direction out the window. "There's a very big crowd at the shooting games. You know. those "if you take out 8 targets, the toy is yours" things. Maybe he's there too?" he suggests, looking at all of them with a hopeful expression. Namjoon just nods in the direction, breathing out a "let's go". 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 Once they get over there, they realize that it seems oddly female-dominant beside the few guys, who seem to be quite flustered being there. Jungkook sure hopes there would not be some yard sale on female... stuff. Jimin walks ahead of them, pushing his way through, much to their astonishment while the rest trail after him like ducklings. Though they come to an abrupt halt when the brown-haired male suddenly stops, sucking in a deep breath.

"Oh... I found Jin-hyung." he notes with an almost awed voice as the rest try to look over him (or around, depends on whether or not you are Min Yoongi), trying to see what this was all about. All they see is a game stand, countless balloons hanging from a board that is a good distance away from the counters from where people shoot. At the stand however, beside the owner stands a young man, shooting expertly at the targets with the provided gun, and at each shot there's a resounding pop. 

"Ok. Woah. Hyung is cool..." Taehyung whispers, in awe as Namjoon just nods. 

 

 _Woah indeed_. Though, he thinks he would've felt better about the situation if he actually knew his friend was an expert marksman. All things considered. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Daehyun makes his way through the massive hallways, a bit annoyed at the drab and dark decor. He feels a sudden shift in the air beside him, the soul-bond in him singing in delight as a person materialises beside him out of thin air.

"Did you have a good time up there? I'm sorry I couldn't accompany you." a smooth voice resounds through the halls and Daehyun just grins, tilting his head,

"It was entertaining, darling. As it usually is." he drawls with a non-chalant shrug before wrinkling his nose as another set of blue-flame candles catch his eye, "You know, we should really tell _Lucy_ to get a better interior designer. This place is like a glorified funeral house, Jae." 

The other male snorts at the nickname, 

"Careful there, love. You wouldn't want the boss to hear you calling him that. Who knows what he'll do." he jokes even if they both knew the man in charge would never have the heart to harm them, as prideful as he was.

Daehyun smiles, an ironic grimace. The King of Hell might be one of the kindest souls in existence.

If only they all had the power to break from the damning chains of fate. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

As they near the massive mahogany doors at the end of the hall, the thing opens itself, letting out a grumbling creak. Inside is a big round-table made out of clear crystal in the middle of the ginormous chamber with a man standing over it. 

The male looks up at them briefly before looking down at the table once again and they both could see images flashing through the surface as the man sorts through them. 

After a good few minutes of them waiting, backs ramrod straight, the man finally stops, the table turning normal as the images fade away. 

"Daehyun, Youngjae." he acknowledges them, nodding at them both, the deep timbre of his voice cutting through the silence. They all feel a gust of wind pass through the room and the candles lighting the room burn considerably brighter, as if an oppressive force that was caging it's light went away. The mentioned two both bow before walking closer to him, tension slipping out of them as Daehyun flashes a cheeky smile. 

"I thought those reapers weren't going to leave. Such prying creatures." he huffs, an offended tone to him as the two other chuckle at his dramatics. 

They good-naturally banter a bit before the man turns serious, a worried look on his face,

"Nevermind that... Dae, did you talk to him?.." he asks, an unexpected tone of anxiety in his voice while Daehyun tenses up, thinking back to why he was up on Earth in the first place. 

"Yeah, I did. Didn't go well." he answers in a clipped tone as a comforting hand slips into his, Youngjae giving him a supportive nod. Daehyun feels the frustration he tried to forget about hit him full force, frowning deeply. "I don't understand him at all. Even when he _knows_  that he won't be able to handle the absence of a soul energy any longer, he still refuses to come here. Even if I tell him that the _sole reason_ he's staying in that wrecked dimension, that band of misfit mortals he likes so much, is going to perish into ashes soon, he's being bull-headed about it!!" he exclaims, furious. Hearing that the man just sighs in resignation, as if he knew that would happen. 

Daehyun feels a crushing sense of hopelessness as it never sat well with him, seeing the man, The Kind of Hell himself, look so dejected. And according to the hum of the soul bond in him, Youngjae feels the same. 

"I.. really wanted him to come here. I miss him." the man mutters,  a sad smile dancing on his lips. "It's been a while since I've seen him." Slouching a bit, he idly runs a finger through his hair, and Daehyun, Youngjae both see the black swirls of an ownership tattoo around his left wrist, the marks almost pulsing as if they're alive. Daehyun clenches his teeth hard. 

"Himchan." Daehyun warns, seeing the longing burning in the man's eyes. "You know you can't go to him, not without any legitimate reason. _He_ will be furious." 

The King of Hell, Himchan, nods lethargically, breathing out softly,

"I know." he answers and both High Demons don't find the heart to console him as they know there's no light to shine on the situation. 

The absolute mark of ownership around Himchan's wrist seems to pulse in delight at his misery and he rubs at the skin gently. 


End file.
